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At a time of growing interest in graduate entrepreneurship, this study focuses on the role of mentoring in developing students' entrepreneurial careers in the Early Years of University (EYU). An integrated conceptual framework is presented that combines mentoring functions and entrepreneurial development (entrepreneurial intentions and nascent behaviour). Data from 18 student mentees who expressed an interest in starting their own businesses, and who were mentored by alumni entrepreneurs of a British University were analysed. Findings support the applicability of our framework in addressing the multi-faceted nature of the mentoring functions, which include a range of knowledge development and socio-emotional functions such as entrepreneurial career development, specialist business knowledge, role-model presence and emotional support. The results contribute to understanding mentoring functions and entrepreneurial development in the EYU. Implications for the design of entrepreneurial mentoring programmes and avenues for future research are discussed.

Purpose: Explores the role of the entrepreneurship educator and their place in the entrepreneurship education landscape. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses an adapted version of Jones and Matlay's (2011) conceptual framework that describes the context of entrepreneurship education to explore the entrepreneurship educator's role. In-depth interviews were conducted with eleven entrepreneurship educators from five universities/university colleges in Denmark. Findings: Illustrates the situated nature of entrepreneurship education. The entrepreneurship educator is embedded in a system of dialogic relationships with a range of stakeholders. This paper provides insights into how the entrepreneurship educator navigates these relationships and the influence these relationships have in determining the scope and nature of the entrepreneurship educator's role. Research limitations/implications: Provides a framework and findings upon which further studies can build in an area that has hitherto received limited attention. Findings could be compared with those in other geographical contexts, for example. The dialogic relationships themselves could be explored either holistically or individually with other stakeholders (e.g. students, institutions, communities). Originality/value: Research on the role of the entrepreneurship educator is extremely limited in an area that has otherwise seen a proliferation of research. The adaptation and application of Jones and Matlay's (2011) framework provides a novel way of understanding how this role is shaped. Where most studies focus either on course content or the students, this study proposes another way to gain insight into the complex world of delivering entrepreneurship education.

Drawing on entrepreneurship education (EE) theory, this article examines the role of learning and inspiration in developing students' entrepreneurial intentions in the First Year in Higher Education. This addresses the paucity of research on early university experiences of EE and their influence on entrepreneurial intentions. Using a longitudinal survey of business students at a British university, the authors identify four scenarios related to the participation/non-participation in EE and subsequent increase or decrease of entrepreneurial intentions. A sub-set of those surveyed are interviewed (n = 49) to better understand how their university experience has influenced their entrepreneurial intentions. Findings suggest that the influence of EE is variable, in some cases even leading to a decrease in entrepreneurial intentions. The results contribute to theories of EE and intentions in the early stages of higher education. The authors discuss implications for theory and practice.

The literature on internships (also placements) emphasises their importance in career development, even seeing them as a launch pad for graduate careers. Indeed, universities use internships to enable students to develop a range of skills and to help clarify and refine employment intentions and career goals. Traditionally, most internships have taken place in large organisations. More recently, however, policy-makers have encouraged internships in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper reports the findings of a British study and contests the unproblematic treatment of the relationship between SME internship and career intentions in the context of tourism education. An explanatory model is developed to show how an interplay of factors come together to undermine the influence of largely positive SME internship experiences on SME employment intentions. The implications of this analysis for both policy-makers and researchers are particularly important at a time of upheaval in the graduate labour market. (Contains 1 figure.)

This paper examines the process of transition from student to graduate entrepreneur. The aim is to develop a typological framework that captures the key person-environment dimensions involved in this transitional journey. This paper draws upon interview data from 15 graduates, all of whom had established their own business within five years of graduation. The paper engages with two dimensions that, we argue, usefully capture an important dynamic of the student-to-entrepreneurship transition: (1) the entrepreneurial maturity of the individual; and (2) the complexity of the business idea. The paper maps qualitative data from the graduates onto a framework based on these dimensions. This offers the basis for an enhanced understanding of the graduate entrepreneurship process. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for theory and practice and, importantly, further research. (Contains 3 figures and 1 note.)

The main purpose of the exploratory research discussed in this paper was to generate insights into the complexity of the career-making processes involved in the transition from being a student to starting up a business. Using story-telling interviews, data were collected from fifteen graduates based in the Yorkshire region of the UK. Qualitative thematic analysis produced a chronological summary for each respondent, charting the sequence of events that led to start-up and providing appropriate context and rationale so that key themes could be identified. The research began as a study of the career-making process of moving from student status to self-employment; it ended by offering valuable insight into the complex transition process undertaken by a group of diverse graduates. This subtle shift of positioning is important, and reflects the outcomes of the in-depth research undertaken with the respondents. The findings suggest that only very rarely could the transition process be regarded as strategic. It was not a linear process with clear stages, but rather a continuous process which often stretched back to the respondent's pre-university life. The process is discussed in relation to three major themes: personal characteristics, employment experiences and lifestyle, and support. Appreciation and awareness of the lack of common transition and contextual processes, aspirations, factors and required capabilities must be reflected in policy and practice that seek to promote and enhance graduate entrepreneurship. The authors' findings question the suitability of neat policy formulas and skills-based interventions to encourage more students to take a start-up pathway. Further research is needed to strengthen the fledgling understanding of this process.

Purpose: This paper seeks to explore undergraduate placement experiences in tourism and hospitality SMEs, focusing on the notions of surprise and sense making. It aims to argue that surprises and sense making are important elements not only of the adjustment process when entering new work environments, but also of the learning experience that placements provide. Design/methodology/approach: In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 students who had recently completed a 48 week placement. Findings: The paper finds that the surprises students encountered were not as dramatic as the literature on organisational entry suggests. This is partially explained by students already having gained substantial amounts of work experience prior to the placement. A number of SME characteristic employment experiences were confirmed while others were questioned. Research limitations/implications: Further detailed research is required that takes a more holistic account of the placement experience in order to understand more fully the impact of placement on learning and career choices. Practical implications: The paper raises important questions about the value of undergraduate placements in an age of mass higher education where many students work part-time. Originality/value: An apparent lack of reflection hindered the sense making process, which raises questions as to whether placements are achieving their potential for experiential learning.